Honey Badger Project

The honey badger or ratel, Mellivora capensis, looks more like a weasel than other badgers. Primarily carnivorous, it has few natural predators because of its extremely thick, loose skin and ferocious fighting abilities.

The Erindi ecology team caught honey badgers in cage traps, then moved them to crates for transport. Once at the veterinary surgery in Omaruru, the badgers were anaesthetised and Dr Otto Zabka implanted VHF transmitters under the skin in the abdominal area. The ecology team uses their signals to track and monitor the animals.

On Erindi, honey badgers have a close relationship with the pale chanting goshawk, Melierax canorus, and, especially in the winter months, the two species can be seen foraging together. The relationship appears rather one-sided, however, with the honey badgers doing all the work. They flush rodents from their burrows and the goshawks pounce on those that escape the honey badgers – almost always getting more food than the honey badgers do.

Donate towards the honey badger project now to support scientific research and the protection of their habitats.